Serve breakdown

So I have a good serve. It's not huge but I can place it and sometimes put some extra steam on it. I have always struggled with it but now it's really good. I serve really well in clinic and practice ( like 80 percent) and today during a match I completely stunk. Doubled every serve except I think 3. And the serve was going everywhere. I wasn missing just deep. Short, deep, left, right. Omg. Was atrocious. Please help. Then I totally derailed and lost confidence and got in my own way. I am a 4.0. Lost 1-1. Sooooooo upset and embarrassed.

I lose at least by 1 and 1 quite often, no biggie....
If you can't maintain a solid serve thru practice AND matches, you do not have a solid serve. You've got quirks that need to be worked out, so you can replicate your serve any time, any where.
Post vid, you will see the flaws, which cause inconsistency between days of serving.
IF you had a solid motion, you can replicate it any time, from parking lots to Wimbleton's Center Court, filled or empty.

I lose at least by 1 and 1 quite often, no biggie....
If you can't maintain a solid serve thru practice AND matches, you do not have a solid serve. You've got quirks that need to be worked out, so you can replicate your serve any time, any where.
Post vid, you will see the flaws, which cause inconsistency between days of serving.
IF you had a solid motion, you can replicate it any time, from parking lots to Wimbleton's Center Court, filled or empty.

knowing you are so much better than that.. just get that out of your mind. when you have really good serve you'll know and won't have to remind yourself how good it is. just keep working on it. as LeeD says technical glitch usually cause unreliability in different pressure situations.

I lose bagels to player's who are competitive in A/Open class, but for some reason want to play a couple of sets with me. I'm a slow footed 4.0.
I lose to competitive 4.0's in the middle of their tennis season, when I get to play once every two weeks because I windsurf in the summer. I'm a slow footed 4.0, worse, injured ankle, no running, just gimping around the court.
But double faults? OK, I can when I'm losing badly, trying to get off the court, but maybe once or twice a MATCH.
As a bad 4.0, I can place heavy lefty twist or top/slice second serves to your backhand, forehand, or into your body, 97% for sure.
That doesn't help me run to the alleys, cover short angles, and then cover lobs that land within 4' of my baseline when I'm at net. Nor does it help me hit my groundies into the 3' box I'm aiming at, 3' inside the baseline and 3' inside the sidelines.

Yup, it broke..me lefty.
Left arm, 3 separated shoulders, 2 broken collarbones, 4 pins in the two little fingers, one greenstick that took 6 months to heal enough to brush my teeth. Wrist only bend back about 30 degrees from straight, not great for laying back forehand groundies.
Right arm. 1 separated shoulder, 2 broken collarbones, 5 crookedly healed fingers from breaks cause by motocross first turn crashes, one dislocate that still pops out when I load it sitting around and holding my kneeup.
Let leg. Flat feet, totally flat. 3 time sprained ankle, 6 pins, 1 14" long piece of wire, 2 screws, sprained medial collateral (current), two detached tendons.
Right leg. Same flat feet, 3 pin, surgical rebreak of fibula, one femur greenstick (took 3 months before it could stand my body weight, gingerly), good knee and ankle.
Torso. For sure, over 7 broken ribs, all healed, some sticking out but not thru the skin. 63 year old, surfer's neck from surfing short boards for 25 years..can't look upwards.
Eyesight now needing far vision help, around 1.0, not the kind you can buy for reading.
But I still got some hair on my head, and my g/f is 22 years younger than me, and giving me a place to live.

When your serve breaks down in more ways than LeeD's body and deserts you to the extent you mentioned it's time to go back to basics! Start with the toss and stance...get to know what ready position works for you to enable placement of the ball in an imaginary box in the air at a height that allows full extension of your serving arm. If you can get it in that box 9 out of 10 times, your DF's will dwindle rapidly.

Yup, it broke..me lefty.
Left arm, 3 separated shoulders, 2 broken collarbones, 4 pins in the two little fingers, one greenstick that took 6 months to heal enough to brush my teeth. Wrist only bend back about 30 degrees from straight, not great for laying back forehand groundies.
Right arm. 1 separated shoulder, 2 broken collarbones, 5 crookedly healed fingers from breaks cause by motocross first turn crashes, one dislocate that still pops out when I load it sitting around and holding my kneeup.
Let leg. Flat feet, totally flat. 3 time sprained ankle, 6 pins, 1 14" long piece of wire, 2 screws, sprained medial collateral (current), two detached tendons.
Right leg. Same flat feet, 3 pin, surgical rebreak of fibula, one femur greenstick (took 3 months before it could stand my body weight, gingerly), good knee and ankle.
Torso. For sure, over 7 broken ribs, all healed, some sticking out but not thru the skin. 63 year old, surfer's neck from surfing short boards for 25 years..can't look upwards.
Eyesight now needing far vision help, around 1.0, not the kind you can buy for reading.
But I still got some hair on my head, and my g/f is 22 years younger than me, and giving me a place to live.

Click to expand...

Wow. Did you impress her through your once kingly tennis skills or your copious battle scars?

Well, I'm sure she checked it out with some fellow windsurfers and those in the know, but probably due to my experience in various sports, my willingness to adapt and adopt, and my general positive attitude about life in general.